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H. R. ll

113TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION

To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to promote family unity,

and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Mr. OROURKE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on llllllllllllll

A BILL
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to promote
family unity, and for other purposes.
1

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-

2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3
4

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the American Families

5 United Act.
6
7

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds the following:

(1) The rights and interests of U.S. citizens

should be protected by our nations immigration

10

laws.

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(2) It is the intent of Congress to provide the

Attorney General and Secretary of Homeland Secu-

rity with the limited ability to provide fairness to the

spouses, children and parents of American citizens

in immigration proceedings on a case by case basis.

6
7

SEC. 3. RULES OF CONSTRUCTION.

Nothing in this Act shall be construed

(1) to provide the Attorney General or the Sec-

retary of Homeland Security with the ability to ex-

10

pand the discretionary authority beyond a case by

11

case basis; or

12

(2) to provide, confirm or concur legalization or

13

nationalization of persons covered under this act, it

14

is solely designed to address hardships incurred by

15

a small minority of American families that are ad-

16

versely affected by inadmissibility and deportation

17

provisions that cause family separation.

18

SEC. 4. WAIVERS OF INADMISSIBILITY.

19

(a) ALIENS WHO ENTERED

AS

CHILDREN.Section

20 212(a)(9)(B)(iii) of the Immigration and Nationality Act

21 (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(9)(B)(iii)) is amended by adding at the
22 end the following:
23

(VI) ALIENS

24

CHILDREN.Clause

25

to an alien who is the beneficiary of

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WHO ENTERED AS

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(i) shall not apply

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an

101(a)(15)(H) and who has earned a

baccalaureate or higher degree from a

United States institution of higher

education

101(a) of the Higher Education Act

of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)), and had

not yet reached the age of 16 years at

the time of initial entry to the United

10
11

approved

(as

petition

defined

in

under

section

States..
(b)

ALIENS

UNLAWFULLY

PRESENT.Section

12 212(a)(9)(B)(v) of the Immigration and Nationality Act

13 (8 U.S.C. 1181(a)(9)(B)(v) is amended
14
15

(1) by striking spouse or son or daughter and

inserting spouse, son, daughter, or parent;

16

(2) by striking extreme; and

17

(3) by inserting , child, after lawfully resi-

18

dent spouse.

19

(c) PREVIOUS IMMIGRATION VIOLATIONS.Section

20 212(a)(9)(C)(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act

21 (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(9)(C)(i)) is amended by adding , other
22 than an alien described in clause (iii) or (iv) of subpara23 graph (B), after Any alien.
24

(d) FALSE CLAIMS.

25

(1) INADMISSIBILITY.

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(A) IN

212(a)(6)(C) of

the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C.

1182(a)(6)(C)) is amended to read as follows:

(C) MISREPRESENTATION.

(i) IN

GENERAL.Any

alien who, by

fraud or willfully misrepresenting a mate-

rial fact, seeks to procure (or within the

last 3 years has sought to procure or has

procured) a visa, other documentation, or

10

admission into the United States or other

11

benefit provided under this Act is inadmis-

12

sible.

13

(ii) FALSELY

14

CLAIMING

CITIZEN-

SHIP.

15

(I) INADMISSIBILITY.Subject

16

to subclause (II), any alien who know-

17

ingly misrepresents himself or herself

18

to be a citizen of the United States

19

for any purpose or benefit under this

20

chapter (including section 274A) or

21

any other Federal or State law is in-

22

admissible.

23

(II) SPECIAL

RULE.An

alien

24

shall not be inadmissible under this

25

clause if the misrepresentation de-

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GENERAL.Section

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scribed in subclause (I) was made by

the alien when the alien

(aa) was under 18 years of

age; or

(bb) otherwise lacked the

mental competence to knowingly

misrepresent a claim of United

States citizenship.

(iii) WAIVER.The Attorney General

10

or the Secretary of Homeland Security

11

may, in the discretion of the Attorney Gen-

12

eral or the Secretary, waive the application

13

of clause (i) or (ii)(I) for an alien, regard-

14

less whether the alien is within or outside

15

the United States, if the Attorney General

16

or the Secretary find that a determination

17

of inadmissibility to the United States for

18

such alien would

19

(I) result in hardship to the

20

alien or to the aliens parent, spouse,

21

son, or daughter who is a citizen of

22

the United States or an alien lawfully

23

admitted for permanent residence; or

24

(II) in the case of a VAWA self-

25

petitioner, result in hardship to the

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alien or a parent or child of the alien

who is a citizen of the United States,

an alien lawfully admitted for perma-

nent residence, or a qualified alien (as

defined in section 431 of the Personal

Responsibility and Work Opportunity

Reconciliation Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C.

1641(b)).

For purposes of this clause, family separa-

10

tion in and of itself shall be deemed to be

11

a hardship.

12

(iv) LIMITATION

REVIEW.No

13

court shall have jurisdiction to review a de-

14

cision or action of the Attorney General or

15

the Secretary regarding a waiver under

16

clause (iii)..

17

(B) CONFORMING

AMENDMENT.Section

18

212 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8

19

U.S.C. 1182) is amended by striking subsection

20

(i).

21

(2) DEPORTABILITY.Section 237(a)(3)(D) of

22

the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C.

23

1227(a)(3)(D)) is amended to read as follows:

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ON

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(D) FALSELY

Any alien described in section 212(a)(6)(C)(ii)

is deportable..

(e) DEFINITION OF CONVICTION.

(1) Section 101(a)(48) of the Immigration and

Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(48)) is amended

by striking subparagraph (A) and (B) and inserting

the following:

(A) The term conviction means, with re-

10

spect to an alien, a final, formal judgment of

11

guilt entered by a court. Where a state or Fed-

12

eral court enters an adjudication or judgment

13

of guilt that has been withheld, deferred, ex-

14

punged, annulled, invalidated or vacated, or en-

15

ters an order of probation without entry of

16

judgment, or any similar disposition under state

17

or Federal law such judgment or adjudication

18

shall not be considered a conviction for pur-

19

poses of this Act.

20

(B) Any pardon entered by a state or

21

Federal authority shall render the prior convic-

22

tion null and void for all purposes under this

23

Act.

24

(C) Any reference to a term of imprison-

25

ment or a sentence with respect to an offense

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CLAIMING CITIZENSHIP.

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is deemed to include only the actual period of

incarceration or confinement ordered by a court

of law. The suspension of the imposition or exe-

cution of that imprisonment or sentence in

whole or in part shall not be included as a part

of the sentence for purposes of this Act..

(2) EFFECTIVE

DATE AND APPLICATION.The

amendments made by subsection (a) shall take effect

on the date of the enactment of this Act and shall

10

apply to convictions and sentences entered before,

11

on, or after the date of the enactment of this Act.

12

SEC. 5. DISCRETIONARY AUTHORITY WITH RESPECT TO RE-

13

MOVAL, DEPORTATION, INELIGIBILITY OR IN-

14

ADMISSIBILITY OF CITIZEN AND RESIDENT

15

IMMEDIATE FAMILY MEMBERS.

16

(a) APPLICATIONS

FOR

RELIEF FROM REMOVAL.

17 Section 240(c)(4) of the Immigration and Nationality Act

18 (8 U.S.C. 1229a(c)(4)) is amended by adding at the end
19 the following:
20

(D) JUDICIAL

the case

21

of an alien subject to removal, deportation, in-

22

eligibility or inadmissibility, the immigration

23

judge may exercise discretion to decline to order

24

the alien removable, deportable, ineligible or in-

25

admissible from the United States and termi-

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DISCRETION.In

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nate proceedings or grant permission to reapply

for admission or any application for relief from

removal if the judge determines that such re-

moval, deportation, ineligibility or inadmis-

sibility is against the public interest or would

result in hardship to the aliens United States

citizen or lawful permanent resident parent,

spouse, or child, or the judge determines the

alien is prima facie eligible for naturalization

10

except that this subparagraph shall not apply to

11

an alien whom the judge determines

12

(i) is inadmissible or deportable

13

under

14

(I)

(B),

(C),

15

(D)(ii), (E), (H), or (I) of section

16

212(a)(2);

17

(II) section 212(a)(3);

18

(III) subparagraph (A), (C), or

19

(D) of section 212(a)(10); or

20

(IV)

paragraph

(2)(A)(ii),

21

(2)(A)(v), (2)(F), (4), or (6) of sec-

22

tion 237(a); or

23

(ii) has

24

(I) engaged in conduct de-

25

scribed in paragraph (8) or (9) of sec-

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subparagraph

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tion 103 of the Trafficking Victims

Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C.

7102); or

(II) a felony conviction de-

scribed in section 101(a)(43) that

would have been classified as an ag-

gravated felony at the time of convic-

tion.

For purposes of this subparagraph, family

10

separation in and of itself shall be deemed

11

to be a hardship and shall be deemed to be

12

against the public interest..

13

(b) SECRETARYS DISCRETION.Section 212 of the

14 Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182) is

15 amended by adding at the end the following:
16

(u) SECRETARYS DISCRETION.In the case of an

17 alien who is inadmissible under this section or deportable

18 under section 237 or ineligible under and provision of this
19 Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security may exercise dis20 cretion to waive a ground of ineligibility, inadmissibility
21 or deportability or grant permission to reapply for admis22 sion or any application for immigration benefits if the Sec23 retary determines that such ineligibility, removal or re24 fusal of admission is against the public interest or would
25 result in hardship, including family separation, to the

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1 aliens United States citizen or permanent resident parent,
2 spouse, or child. For purposes of this subsection, family
3 separation in and of itself shall be deemed to be a hardship
4 and shall be deemed to be against the public interest. This
5 subsection shall not apply to an alien whom the Secretary
6 determines
7

(1) is inadmissible or deportable under

(A) subparagraph (B), (C), (D)(ii), (E),

(H), or (I)of subsection (a)(2);

10

(B) subsection (a)(3);

11

(C) subparagraph (A), (C), or (D) of sub-

12

section (a)(10);

13

(D)

14

(2)(A)(ii),

(2)(A)(v),

(2)(F), or (6) of section 237(a); or

15

(E) section 240(c)(4)(D)(ii)(II); or

16

(2) has

17

(A) engaged in conduct described in para-

18

graph (8) or (9) of section 103 of the Traf-

19

ficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22

20

U.S.C. 7102);

21

(B) a felony conviction described in sec-

22

tion 101(a)(43) that would have been classified

23

as an aggravated felony at the time of convic-

24

tion;.

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(c) REINSTATEMENT

OF

REMOVAL ORDERS.Sec-

2 tion 241(a)(5) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8

3 U.S.C. 1231(a)(5)) is amended by striking the period at
4 the end and inserting , unless the alien reentered prior
5 to attaining the age of 18 years, or reinstatement of the
6 prior order of removal would not be in the public interest
7 or would result in hardship, including family separation,
8 to the aliens United States citizen or permanent resident
9 parent, spouse, or child..

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